Walk Like A Man
by Bones.Books.and.Booth
Summary: Booth's at his father's funeral and reflects on his past. Inspired by Walk Like A Man by Tim McGraw. -BB-


_**A/N: Fanfiction based on Walk Like a Man by Tim McGraw from his Live Like You Were Dying Album. It's a great song, highly recommended. Complete lyrics at the end of the fanfic.**_

**Walk Like A Man**-a Bones Fanfiction

He always wondered what it would be like to bury his father. He had wondered if he would even show up, he had always thought he would sit at home with a glass of vodka or maybe scotch. Seeley Booth had never liked his father, but he always loved him.

That was how Booth spent the last Sunday of October. He stood in Arlington National Cemetery next to yet another hole in the ground. Very few people stood around the burial site in the chilling October wind. His mother stood next to him and Jared on the other side of her. Other than the three of them there were seven others. His grandfather stood across from him, smiling sadly.

Booth almost regretted that his father hadn't died in combat or at least honorably. No, Peter Booth met his demise through liver cancer, liver cancer that was his own doing.

The funeral was short, barely ten minutes. They had saluted, given the twenty-one gun salute, and Taps had been played. The American flag had been handed to his stoic mother, and they now stood around the sight remembering Peter Booth. Or just remembering.

Seeley Booth was the elder of the two brothers; he was the caregiver-the sensitive one. He had seen firsthand what alcohol did to his depressed and guilt-ridden father. He remembered all the times that his mother had covered bruises on his face; he probably knew how to use foundation better than most women.

_Mama'd use her makeup, to hide the bruises on his face  
In the morning they'd pretend that there'd never ever been a trace_

He had seen the effects of his father's alcoholism on the rest of his family; his mother who was strong and brave, Jared who was a coward because Seeley had taken all the blows. He remembered how before the violence started it had been screaming matches in the middle of the night. He remembered covering up his ears and willing himself not to cry. Ten year olds do NOT cry.

_In the fights they had he'd cover up his ears  
Thought big boys don't cry, fought back all the tears  
_

He remembered that after every time he faced his father his Ma had been waiting for him in his room. She had been ready to comfort him, but eventually she couldn't do it anymore. He remembered becoming an angry teenager who threw himself into his sports. He remembered the first time he had returned a blow to his father. He remembered running away and then returning because he couldn't leave his younger brother or his mother.

_And God gave boys their mamas cause  
They always see their promise  
And they help them understand  
How to walk like a man  
Walk like a man_

He remembered the days when he felt like he couldn't stand because it hurt too badly. He remembered his Mama telling him how proud she was of him and his strength.

_Come on, stand up straight, I'm proud of you  
Take my hand  
I know you can  
Walk like a man_

He remembered when he joined the Army, 75th Regiment in hopes that his father would be proud. All that happened when he joined the Army was that his Mama cried. He remembered returning to the US after all the horrific scenes of war torn countries. He remembered thinking that he knew why his father drank. He remembered when he lost his best friend, Edward 'Teddy' Parker.

_The sins of the father are the sins of the son  
You can't undo what has been done  
You'll have to retrace his footsteps  
Through the sand  
_

He remembered the times he had thought about killing himself. He remembered every time that his grandfather had stopped him saying 'Life is worth living even in the worst of times. You get stronger every time you don't give in.' He remembered gambling, loan sharks, the itch to play even now-but he didn't give into that itch, just like his grandfather said.

_Your daddy's demons are callin' your name  
Don't you listen to them cause they've got no claim  
Temptations may come, that ain't no sin  
You get stronger every time that you don't give in_

He remembered when he met Rebecca and fell in love for the first time. He remembered hearing she was pregnant. He remembered leaving his addiction behind for her. He remembered the day she refused his hand in marriage. He remembered the day that she broke his heart.

He remembered the day his son was born. He remembered the day that he held his son for the first time, and when Rebecca let him name Parker James Booth. He remembered that it was the day he fell in love for the second time.

He remembered when he got his promotion to Special Agent in Charge and subsequently became the official liaison for the FBI to the Jeffersonian Medico-Legal Lab-Anthropology Unit. He remembered how nervous he had been the first time he met Doctor Temperance Brennan PhD. He remembered walking into her office where the group was gathered. He recalled Angela Montenegro whistling at him, Jack Hodgins' paranoid glaring, Zack Addy's nervous twitch. The thing he remembered most was when Temperance Brennan turned to face him he had been speechless. He had thought she was gorgeous, but squints weren't supposed to be gorgeous. He remembered sticking out his and saying confidently that his name was Special Agent Seeley Booth. He remembered her glaring at his hand and coldly stating her name. He remembered the rest of the Squint Squad laughing behind their hands. He recalled hearing Angela, Hodgins, and Zack betting on how long he'd last-the bets being two days to a month.

The one thing he didn't remember was falling in love with Temperance Brennan. At the FBI Hoover Building she had all kinds of names-Ice Queen, Witch, Sexy Scientist-but only to him was she 'Bones.' He thought maybe he had fallen after she had almost been killed and then eaten by dogs or after they had found her mother's remains or when she was buried alive or when her father handcuffed her to a bench. There were too many opportunities. He couldn't recall which it had been that had set it off.

He had closed his eyes sometime during his remembering. He could almost smell Bones' fresh scent. She smelled like flowers-daffodils and roses-along with an antiseptic from the lab. It was uniquely Brennan. He could almost feel her and wrapping around his forearm. He opened his eyes then willing the feeling away.

She was there. She smelt like flowers and the lab and her hand was wrapped around his forearm. She wore her black winter coat and jeans. A blue scarf was coiled around her neck and a grey hat was pulled over her hair. The hand wrapped around his arm was red from the biting wind.

He smiled down at her and coiled her arm through his; she stuck her hand in the pocket of his long winter coat. She looked up at him and smiled kindly. He noticed then that they were the only two left.

"Let's go, Bones." He turned and walked in step with her towards his SUV.

"I'm proud of you Seeley Booth." He turned his back on his father and walked on, back straight.

_An' pray you find the love of a girl, take her by the hand  
And walk on  
Walk like a man._

_**The End.**_

_**A/N: The promised lyrics:**_

_**In the fights they had he'd cover up his ears  
Thought big boys don't cry, fought back all the tears  
Mama'd use her makeup, to hide the bruises on his face  
In the morning they'd pretend that there'd never ever been a trace  
His old man woke him up to help him find the car  
Take the bus uptown outside some rundown bar  
He swore that he was quitting  
And then he'd start to cry  
And though the boy knew the truth  
Sometimes he'd still believe that lie**_

_**When the sins of the father are the sins of the son  
All you do is crawl when you wanna run  
And God gave boys their mamas cause  
They always see their promise  
And they help them understand  
How to walk like a man  
Walk like a man**_

_**They moved a lot of places, they never settled down  
It got pretty old being the new kid in town  
He'd always tell his friends, my daddy's sick today  
Said he'd be rich if he had a nickel every time he heard his mama say**_

_**The sins of the father are the sins of the son  
Crawl before you walk, boy  
Walk before you run  
Come on, stand up straight, I'm proud of you  
Take my hand  
I know you can  
Walk like a man  
Walk like a man**_

_**Your daddy's demons are callin' your name  
Don't you listen to them cause they've got no claim  
Temptations may come, that ain't no sin  
You get stronger every time that you don't give in**_

_**The sins of the father are the sins of the son  
You can't undo what has been done  
You'll have to retrace his footsteps  
Through the sand  
An' pray you find the love of a girl, take her by the hand  
And walk on  
Walk like a man**_

_**Last A/N (I promise): Hope you enjoyed it. Every time I listen to this song I just get a mental image of Booth, so I decided to act on it.**_


End file.
